People have been killed and injured after a huge fire broke out at an ammunition depot in Chad, causing large explosions, senior government ministers said.
Foreign Minister Koulamallah Abderaman said the fire occurred at a military depot in the Goudji district of the capital, N’Djamena.
President Mahamat Idriss Déby sent his condolences to the victims and their families, without specifying the number of victims.
Video footage, which has not been verified by the BBC, shows explosions lighting up the night sky.
Witnesses said they could be heard miles away.
Journalists working for the AFP news agency said the fire caused weapons to be fired into the air.
There were “explosions of munitions of all calibers,” a French official, who requested anonymity, also told the agency.
One resident told Reuters news agency he saw three people injured in the street, while another said his neighbor had been killed.
“Strong explosions woke us up,” Moustapha Adoum Mahamat said.
“Our house was shaking as if someone was shooting at us. Then we saw a big fire in the military camp and smoke and objects were exploding in the air,” he said.
“We could see the artillery flying over us.”
Foreign Minister and government spokesperson Koulamallah Abderaman urged people to remain calm after the explosions.
“Peace to the souls of the victims, sincere condolences to the grieving families and speedy recovery to the injured,” President Déby wrote on Facebook.
The cause of the fire is not yet known and the president has promised an investigation.
